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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong International Computer Conference 2013 (HKICC2013) today (November 26):
Mr (Michael) Leung (President of the Hong Kong Computer Society and Chairperson of the HKICC2013 Organising Committee), Mr (Sunny) Lee (Chairperson of the HKICC2013 Programme Committee), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to join you all today at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong International Computer Conference 2013. Over the years, the Hong Kong International Computer Conference has served as a valuable platform for local and international ICT (information and communication technology) professionals and businessmen to expound on the latest trends of the industry. This is a remarkable year, as the Conference is also held concurrently with the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards. These two mega events bring together the brightest minds in ICT industry, sort of like a supernova of ICT ideas.
The topic of the Conference this year, "Technology Disruptions Transform Business", is timely. The 21st century is the era of disruptive innovations. Waves after waves of ground-breaking technologies emerged, changing the daily habits of mankind and transforming modes of operations in business. The McKinsey Global Institute has published a report earlier this year. It mentioned 12 potential disruptive technologies that will transform life, businesses and global economy. Mobile Internet, cloud technology and Internet of Things are among those identified as the "next big things". Together they will have a significant impact on the world.
We, in Hong Kong, are keen to unleash the power and potentials of these technologies. Therefore, we have made timely revisions to our Digital 21 Strategy, the action-oriented blueprint for Hong Kong's ICT development. Our aim is to leverage the latest ICT advancements to fuel our social and economic developments. By so doing, we stay ahead of the game.
Entitled "Smarter Hong Kong, Smarter Living", our new Strategy encompasses four strategic thrusts of leveraging ICT:
* Firstly, to empower everyone through building platforms that enable the public and our businesses to realise their aspirations;
* Secondly, to ignite business innovation through R&D and provision of open data;
* Thirdly, to support a thriving ICT industry. How? By recognising excellence, and by facilitating established and emerging ICT setups to gain a solid foothold in the Mainland and the international markets; and
* Finally, to transform and integrate public services by developing intuitive, personalised and multi-platform e-services.
Our Strategy is to bring benefits to everyone in the community. They are: the public, visitors, innovators, ICT service providers, companies of different scales, start-ups and so on. It will solidify Hong Kong's strength in established areas. It will also embrace the latest changes in the social, economic and technological environments to explore and exploit new areas and opportunities.
Increasing popularity of mobile Internet and cloud technology will induce increasing demand and expectations on online services. We understand that very well. That's why we propose to extend our free government Wi-Fi services to more leisure locations. They include our beaches, major district parks, harbourfront promenades, and other popular focal points. We hope to make our city even more well-connected. People can then easily enjoy online services anywhere, anytime. What's more? The Government will adopt the "multi-platform by default" approach. We will design and develop mobile or multi-platform e-services. What does it mean? It means more convenient and more integrated user experiences for the public and our businesses, irrespective of how they access the e-services, and independent of time and location constraints.
We recognise the potential of the Internet of Things. We are an early adopter of the technology. We will capitalise on the information supplied by these Internet-connected sensors embedded in everyday objects. This allows us to make better and more timely decisions. With big data analytics, we will have a smarter city infrastructure. Our objective is clear: we operationalise "Smarter Hong Kong, Smarter Living". In short, a better world for everyone.
Technological disruption presents challenges and transformation. It also provides opportunities. The Hong Kong International Computer Conference 2013 is an excellent platform for the brightest minds to unlock those opportunities. I wish the Conference every success. The world awaits your disruptive transformation!
Thank you.
Ends/Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Issued at HKT 12:38
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